Rich with nostalgia for anyone who watched The French Chef, or whose mother ever used Mastering the Art of French Cooking. (I snagged my mom's copy so it wouldn't be sold in her estate sale.) It is about positive relationships, self-help, joy in life, and many other messages which are right to hear in an age of doubt. Now if we could only make butter seem good for us, again...
What moves this past the usual top quality Pixar pic is the subtle revolutionary moments, from its antithesis-yet-nod to "2001: A Space Odyssey", to its (ironic, given that it is computer-generated) condemnation of a society served entirely by computers. Funny, just sentimental enough to be a cartoon, and full of teachable moments. Best movie I've seen in a while.